The judge remarked that the documents on file with Vital Records had been "available to the state," and in oral arguments, the prosecutor had to admit that he'd never bothered to pull the file and inspect it.

More troubling still was Passamonte's observation that the MCAO's lone witness, Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General, told the grand jury this:

In 1999, Vital Records discovered that Torres' birth certificate, in his words, had been "falsely created" by Torres' mother and so the department "canceled it."

This was not true, according to Vital Records. Torres' birth certificate never was canceled and remains as valid as the day it was issued.

Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General should be in a farking jail cell.

Tom_Slick:I hope she can sue for false imprisonment and bankrupt that county.

I don't like the American trend of bringing lawyers to every interaction, but in this case--SUE, BABY, SUE!!!!

/take 'em all out.//blithering idiots///4.5 months and they didn't even look at her birth certificate? Sue 'em separately, then all together, then separately again, in case they've managed to scrounge up some scraps to eat.

The best part is that America's Toughest Sheriff got to make her eat moldy sandwiches and be scorched in the desert sun, because we can't be too tough on people that have yet to be convicted of a crime!!

Well... I'm guessing she'll be able to buy a new house and car once this is all settled.

Maricopa County sounds like it needs to have G-Men descend on it like locusts and arrest everyone above the rank of assistant dogcatcher. Sheriff whatshisname himself is probably a felon a hundred times over by now. Christ, for all we know he's having people murdered and buried in the desert.

The underlying statute is sound, as on average illegal immigrants aren't exactly likely to make court appearances or respect the law to begin with. Their mere presence here affirms that.

However, the county really screwed the pooch on this one. If you are going to incarcerate someone for being an illegal immigrant, you'd better make sure that you're right and do some due diligence lest you look like idiots and end up liable for $$$.

NutWrench:Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General should be in a farking jail cell.

This.

Sure, sue the hell out of him, the county, the state, and everyone in between - but this is not just civil negligence. This is criminal behavior, plain and simple, and the criminal needs to face criminal punishment.

svenge:The underlying statute is sound, as on average illegal immigrants aren't exactly likely to make court appearances or respect the law to begin with. Their mere presence here affirms that.

However, the county really screwed the pooch on this one. If you are going to incarcerate someone for being an illegal immigrant, you'd better make sure that you're right and do some due diligence lest you look like idiots and end up liable for $$$.

This sort of race-based harrassment is an inevitable result of the constitutional UNSOUNDNESS of Arizona's law, and why it will be booted by the federal courts. Soon, there will be a long list of plaintiffs - American citizens who have been detained and harrassed under this idiot law. The courtroom crushing will be epic - the awards handed out, astronomical. This may bankrupt Arizona.Brilliant.

No Such Agency:Well... I'm guessing she'll be able to buy a new house and car once this is all settled.

Maricopa County sounds like it needs to have G-Men descend on it like locusts and arrest everyone above the rank of assistant dogcatcher. Sheriff whatshisname himself is probably a felon a hundred times over by now. Christ, for all we know he's having people murdered and buried in the desert.

NutWrench:The judge remarked that the documents on file with Vital Records had been "available to the state," and in oral arguments, the prosecutor had to admit that he'd never bothered to pull the file and inspect it.

More troubling still was Passamonte's observation that the MCAO's lone witness, Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General, told the grand jury this:

In 1999, Vital Records discovered that Torres' birth certificate, in his words, had been "falsely created" by Torres' mother and so the department "canceled it."

This was not true, according to Vital Records. Torres' birth certificate never was canceled and remains as valid as the day it was issued.

Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General should be in a farking jail cell.

Yep, toss that bone to CCA. It's the only time I can think of when I've actually wanted those evil slave-keepers to profit.

The Mexicans who haven't left Phoenix or the surrounding areas yet, must stay inside a lot. Seriously I bet they are afraid to leave thier homes. Of course that's just how the right wingers like it. I'm that sounds like hyperbole, but I don't believe it is. They know how the Mexicans get treated now, and the dog whistle phrases are almost constant from guys like sheriff joe, and they are winning elections by huge margins. Hating on the mexicans means you can't lose in maricopa county. The part that really sucks is that a lot of those voters are old retires from all over the country. Arizona wasn't this hateful until all your parents started coming here for the winter.

You don't hear this much in the public arena, but this is what happens when you privatize the penal system. This is why we have the largest incarceration rate per capita in the world.

Why the hell do we need to have private prisons? They are just monopsonies riddled with greed and corruption. The level of corruption is really quite impressive, I sincerely believe that if prisons were publicly owned this whole stupid system would reform practically overnight, no more putting people in jail for smoking a joint, parking tickets, etc...

NutWrench:The judge remarked that the documents on file with Vital Records had been "available to the state," and in oral arguments, the prosecutor had to admit that he'd never bothered to pull the file and inspect it.

More troubling still was Passamonte's observation that the MCAO's lone witness, Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General, told the grand jury this:

In 1999, Vital Records discovered that Torres' birth certificate, in his words, had been "falsely created" by Torres' mother and so the department "canceled it."

This was not true, according to Vital Records. Torres' birth certificate never was canceled and remains as valid as the day it was issued.

Detective Chris Oberly of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General should be in a farking jail cell.

How often does this stuff have to happen before people realize we need to fight back?

The Mexicans who haven't left Phoenix or the surrounding areas yet, must stay inside a lot. Seriously I bet they are afraid to leave thier homes. Of course that's just how the right wingers like it. I'm that sounds like hyperbole, but I don't believe it is. They know how the Mexicans get treated now, and the dog whistle phrases are almost constant from guys like sheriff joe, and they are winning elections by huge margins. Hating on the mexicans means you can't lose in maricopa county. The part that really sucks is that a lot of those voters are old retires from all over the country. Arizona wasn't this hateful until all your parents started coming here for the winter.

And apparently the snowbirds are allowed to vote on things that affect the rest of the state year-round.

The Mexicans who haven't left Phoenix or the surrounding areas yet, must stay inside a lot. Seriously I bet they are afraid to leave thier homes. Of course that's just how the right wingers like it. I'm that sounds like hyperbole, but I don't believe it is. They know how the Mexicans get treated now, and the dog whistle phrases are almost constant from guys like sheriff joe, and they are winning elections by huge margins. Hating on the mexicans means you can't lose in maricopa county. The part that really sucks is that a lot of those voters are old retires from all over the country. Arizona wasn't this hateful until all your parents started coming here for the winter.

Florida is like that also. My in-laws live down there. Visiting them is creepy. Despite the fact that Florida is a fairly diverse state, my in-laws manage to live a segregated life. They live in an all-white neighborhood, belong to an all-white pool, and so on. The only time you see someone who is Asian, Black, or Hispanic is if they are waiting on tables at a restaurant the in-laws like. I wonder what my non-white child/children think of the situation. Sometimes I look around and cringe inside. And like your snowbirds in Arizona, my in-laws are transplants as well.